Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media Bayu Hendro Wicaksono1*.
Agista Nidya Wardani2.
Khoiriyah3 1-3Faculty of Teacher Training and Education.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang.
Indonesia Korespondensi Penulis Bayu Hendro Wicaksono Faculty of Teacher Training and Education.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang.
Indonesia hw@umm.
doi: 10.
56972/jikm.
Submit: 29 September 2025 | Revisi: 24 Oktober 2025 | Diterima: 26 Oktober 2025 Dipublikasikan: 28 Oktober 2025 | Periode Terbit: Oktober 2025 Abstract The use of engaging instructional media is important in supporting effective English language teaching, particularly in improving studentsAo motivation and assisting teachersAo instructional practices.
This community service program aimed to develop a studentAos workbook using comic strips as ready-to-use teaching materials for English teachers and to evaluate teachersAo perceptions of its potential classroom The program was conducted in collaboration with a Muhammadiyah-affiliated secondary school and implemented through several stages, including needs analysis, topic selection, learning activity planning, material development, and evaluation.
The evaluation involved 12 English teachers who participated in workshops introducing the developed workbook.
A mixed-methods approach was employed to assess the outcomes of the program.
Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale, while qualitative data were obtained through an online Focus Group Discussion.
The findings show that teachers had positive perceptions of the comic-based studentAos workbook.
All evaluated aspects obtained mean scores above 4.
00, indicating strong Teachers perceived that the workbook could enhance studentsAo interest and engagement, clarify learning objectives, provide meaningful learning activities, and support English language skill From the teachersAo perspective, the workbook was considered practical, easy to use, and helpful in reducing lesson preparation time.
Teachers also expressed comfort and intention to use the workbook in their future teaching.
In conclusion, this community service program demonstrates that developing a comic-based studentAos workbook is a feasible and effective approach to supporting teachersAo professional development and improving English language teaching practices.
Keywords: comic strips, studentAos workbook, english language teaching, teachersAo perceptions Introduction Teaching English requires creativity, experiences that are close to studentsAo daily Vol .
237-250 lives and learning contexts.
One form of media that can meet this need is the use of digital comic strips, which are generally perceived as playful and engaging.
Foreign e-ISSN 2828-6375 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media language learning should include an element of playfulness.
therefore, the ability to create learning activities that are both educational and enjoyable is a crucial component of successful language instruction (Bailey & Nunan, 2.
Media play an essential role in the teaching and learning process and cannot be separated from instructional practice.
According to Ratih et al .
, the use of media that is relevant to the subject matter is a fundamental component of effective Instructional commonly classified into three main categories: visual media, audio media, and audio-visual media.
Comic strips are a form of visual media that can be effectively used in language teaching.
They are applicable to teaching various English skills, including reading, writing, and speaking, as well as language components such as vocabulary, grammar, and Comic strips are visually attractive due to their combination of images, colors, and concise narratives, which can help reduce studentsAo boredom and sustain their attention.
Together with engaging instructional media function as a means to encourage studentsAo motivation to learn.
The selection of appropriate media should consider relevance to learning objectives and appeal to studentsAo interests (Adhantoro et al.
, 2.
In their digital form, comic strips offer additional advantages, such as ease of access and flexibility of use, which can support enjoyable learning experiences.
e-ISSN 2828-6375 Boss .
argues that the use of new media technologies in education provides opportunities for students to move beyond teacher-centered Through digital tools, students can share ideas, engage in discussions, and collaborate beyond classroom boundaries.
This learning mode supports the development of communication skills, intercultural awareness, learner autonomy, and independent learning habits.
This community service program focuses on the development and introduction of digital comic strip media designed by the researchers and presented to English teachers through a professional development workshop (Supriyono et al.
The activity aims to support teachers in enriching their instructional media and enhancing their pedagogical practices.
TeachersAo perceptions of the comic strips are considered a key indicator of the practicality and potential adoption of the media in classroom contexts.
Perception, as defined by Ratri et al .
, refers to the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information.
Through understanding teachersAo perceptions, their expectations regarding the use of comic strips in English teaching can be identified.
TeachersAo perceptions are shaped by expectations of classroom implementation.
Perception can manifest as opinions or intuitive judgments and may be influenced by various factors, including prior knowledge, experiences, and expectations (Ningsih & Sari, 2.
Gibson et al.
Vol .
237-250 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media identify six factors affecting perception:
self-concept, circumstances, needs, and emotions.
These factors influence how individuals interpret instructional media and determine their willingness to adopt new teaching Understanding teachersAo perceptions is essential in community service initiatives because it provides valuable feedback regarding the relevance, usability, and acceptability of the developed media.
Akande .
explains, perception shapes how individuals act and behave toward an object or innovation.
Therefore, teachersAo perceptions of digital comic strips will influence whether the media are implemented in their instructional The comic strip media in this program were introduced during a workshop attended by English teachers from several schools in Indonesia.
Based on a preliminary needs analysis conducted at SMA Muhammadiyah 3 Pandaan, students were found to require greater exposure to digital and animated learning media to increase their engagement in English Johnson .
notes that cartoons are popular among young learners, making them a relevant and potentially motivating resource for educational settings.
As short narrative texts, digital comic strips can support the teaching of all four English skills reading, writing, listening, and speaking while also communicative competence (Khatib & Vol .
237-250 Nasrollahi, 2.
Comic strips also allow for varied instructional activities.
For instance, students may read comic strips for reading practice, paraphrase dialogues for writing activities, listen to peers reading the text for listening exercises, or perform role-plays based on the storyline for speaking In this way, comic strips can be used to teach both receptive and Their combination of visual elements and textual information supports students in receiving and expressing ideas effectively.
Previous studies have demonstrated the educational benefits of comic-based Chirkova et al.
found that the use of pedagogical signals such as comic strips.
NLP visuals, and color enhanced the learning of English grammar by making the recall of grammatical rules faster and more effective.
Fenske .
reported that concept cartoons enable teachers to integrate studentsAo everyday experiences into classroom discussions, thereby enriching learning in social science Lestari .
showed that mathematics comics integrating Pancasila values were effective in improving studentsAo critical thinking skills and character development.
Similarly.
Wati et .
demonstrated that the use of Tondoo, an online comic strip creator, significantly improved studentsAo public speaking performance, participation, and Comic strips have also been integrated with content-based learning, anti-corruption e-ISSN 2828-6375 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media (Hasanah, 2.
Islamic values (Widayanti & Muntaha, 2.
, and environmental (Vasileva Golubev, 2.
These studies indicate that comic-based media can simultaneously support language learning and content Widayanti and Muntaha .
further reported that digital comics improved studentsAo reading skills and engagement in Islamic studies, as reflected in classroom observations, participation, and the quality of studentsAo comic Based on these findings, this community service initiative considers the development of digital comic strips as a relevant effort to support teachersAo Unlike previous studies that primarily focused on studentsAo learning outcomes, this program emphasizes teachersAo perceptions of the developed comic strip media as part of a capacity-building activity.
Therefore, this study aims to explore teachersAo perceptions regarding the use of digital comic strips in teaching English, with the intention of implementing comic-based media in English language teaching contexts.
e-ISSN 2828-6375 Method This study was conducted as part of a community service program aimed at developing a studentAos workbook using comic strips as ready-to-use teaching materials for English teachers.
The program focused on supporting teachersAo professional development by providing practical instructional media that could be English The project team collaborated Muhammadiyah-affiliated secondary school as the partner institution.
The community service program was implemented through several systematic stages, including needs analysis, topic selection, learning activity planning, material development, and evaluation (Kusumawati, 2.
The needs analysis was conducted to identify teachersAo instructional challenges and studentsAo related to the use of digital and visual media in English language teaching.
Based on the findings, relevant topics were selected and learning activities were planned accordingly.
The designed teaching materials were then compiled into a studentAos workbook that utilized comic strips as the primary instructional media.
An example of the developed studentAos workbook using comic strips is presented in Figure 1.
Vol .
237-250 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media Figure 1.
An Exemplary of StudentsAo Workbook Using Comic Strips The studentAos workbook was structured to support active and meaningful learning through comic-based The learning activities were organized into three main sections: Getting Started.
Main Activities, and Reflection.
The Getting Started section functioned as an vocabulary-building exercises related to the selected topics and brainstorming activities to activate studentsAo prior knowledge (Nurpahmi, 2.
The Main Activities section consisted of four types of learning tasks.
The first task focused on reading comprehension, in which students were required to read texts related to the topic and answer comprehension questions.
The second task was a guided activity using comic strips, where students were provided with comic images and structured hints to complete writing or speaking tasks.
The third task Vol .
237-250 was a less-guided activity, in which students received comic images with minimal guidance, encouraging greater independence in producing written or spoken responses.
The final task was a free activity, allowing students to create their own comic strips based on the given topic, either in written form or through oral These activities were designed to develop both receptive and productive English skills.
The final section of the workbook was Reflection, which encouraged students to engage in self-reflection.
In this section, students were guided to gather experiences, analyze their progress toward the intended learning goals, and plan subsequent learning steps.
As part of the evaluation stage of the community service program, the project team conducted a series of workshops to e-ISSN 2828-6375 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media introduce the developed studentAos workbook to English teachers.
The workshops served as a dissemination and capacity-building teachers to explore the materials and provide feedback based on their professional experiences.
Teachers were voluntarily invited to participate and were asked to evaluate the workbook in terms of its practicality, usefulness, and potential classroom application.
To evaluate the implementation outcomes of the community service program, this study employed a mixedmethods Mixed-methods research combines quantitative and qualitative data to obtain a more participantsAo perspectives (Creswell & Clark, 2.
Data were first collected through a survey, as surveys are effective instruments for gathering information about individual perspectives from a group of participants (Jones et al.
, 2.
The questionnaire developed using a fivepoint Likert scale and administered online via Google Forms.
No.
Initial
T10
T11
e-ISSN 2828-6375 The questionnaire consisted of three The first section collected demographic information through three open-ended questions.
The second section focused on teachersAo overall evaluation of the studentAos workbook using comic strips and included seven close-ended questions.
The third section examined teachersAo perceptions of the perceived usefulness of the workbook and their intention to use it in their teaching practices, comprising eight close-ended questions.
Following the survey, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted online and recorded to obtain more in-depth qualitative data.
The FGD focused on teachersAo perceptions of the development and potential implementation of the comic-based studentAos workbook as readyto-use teaching materials.
This discussion allowed participants to elaborate on their experiences, expectations, and suggestions regarding the materials.
In total, this community service program involved 12 English teachers as Details of the participants are presented in Table 1.
Table 1.
The Details of Participants Teaching experience Gender Institutions more than 10 years female MAN 2 Kota Bandung more than 10 years female MAN 1 Kota Bandung more than 10 years female SMP Islam Tempeh 5Ae10 years MTs Syifaul Huda Dayeuhluhur 5Ae10 years MAN 1 Kota Malang more than 10 years MAN PK Kota Makassar more than 10 years female MAN 1 Kota Bandung more than 10 years female SMP SSA Negeri Pajarakan Probolinggo 1 year or less female MA Al Mursyid SMA less than 5 years female Muhammadiyah 3 Pandaan more than 10 years female SMP Negeri 2 Candipuro Vol .
237-250 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media Result and Discussion This section presents and discusses the results obtained from the evaluation stage of the community service program, which aimed to examine teachersAo perceptions of the developed studentAos workbook using comic strips as ready-touse teaching materials.
The evaluation focused on identifying the perceived future effects of the workbook on both studentsAo teachersAo instructional practices.
To achieve this objective, quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire, while qualitative insights were obtained through a Focus Group Discussion (FGD).
The questionnaire was designed to elicit teachersAo perceptions regarding the possible future effects of the workbook related to .
students and .
All items were rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 .
trongly disagre.
to 5 .
trongly agre.
The use of survey and FGD data in this evaluation aligns with the purpose of community service programs, which emphasize feedback, acceptance, and practical impact of the implemented TeachersAo Perceptions of the WorkbookAos Future Effects on Students The teachersAo perceptions of the possible future effects of the workbook related to students are presented in Table The table summarizes the mean scores of seven statements addressing various instructional functions of the comic-based studentAos workbook.
The results show that all statements obtained mean scores above 00, indicating a high level of agreement among teachers.
Table 2.
The TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media No.
Statements Mean By using the ready-use studentAos workbook using comic strips.
It will arise the learnersAo interest.
It will remind the students of earlier learning.
It will tell the students what they will be learning It will explain new learning content to them.
It will set clear learning targets.
It will provide them with strategies to use in It will provide opportunities for meaningful Grand mean Based on the data in Table 2, teachers agreed that the ready-to-use studentAos workbook using comic strips would arouse studentsAo interest, activate prior learning, inform students about upcoming learning Vol .
237-250 content, explain new materials clearly, set explicit learning objectives, provide learning strategies, and offer opportunities for meaningful practice.
These findings suggest that teachers perceive the e-ISSN 2828-6375 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media instructional resource that supports students throughout the learning process, from motivation and orientation to skill development and reflection.
Among these aspects, studentsAo particularly high agreement.
Teachers believed that the visual and narrative elements of comic strips could make English learning more appealing and less intimidating for students.
This perception supports Bailey and Nunan .
assertion that foreign language instruction should incorporate a playful dimension, as the ability to create learning experiences No.
that are both educational and enjoyable is crucial for language learning success.
TeachersAo Perceptions of the WorkbookAos Future Effects on Teachers The teachersAo perceptions of the workbookAos future effects related to their instructional practices are presented in Table 3.
This table includes eight statements addressing the usefulness, practicality, and sustainability of the workbook from the teachersAo perspective.
Similar to the student-related results, all items in Table 3 obtained mean scores Table 3.
TeachersAo Perception on the Possible Future Effects of the Workbook Related to the Teachers Statements Mean The designed studentsAo workbook is advantageous for my English classes, especially for teaching reading, speaking, and writing.
The designed studentsAo workbook is a good ready-to-use material to ease my teaching preparation.
Using the studentsAo workbook in my class will help me to teach the materials Using the studentsAo workbook is useful for motivating my students to learn.
As an English teacher.
I believe the designed studentsAo workbook is useful for my I feel comfortable using the designed studentsAo workbook to improve my teaching I plan to use the designed studentsAo workbook often.
I think the designed studentsAo workbook should be used in English classes in the The data in Table 3 indicate that teachers perceived the workbook as advantageous for teaching English skills, particularly reading, speaking, and Teachers also agreed that the workbook serves as a ready-to-use teaching material that can ease lesson preparation, support effective teaching, e-ISSN 2828-6375 and motivate students to learn.
Furthermore, teachers expressed comfort in using the workbook and demonstrated a strong intention to use it frequently and recommend its use in future English These findings are consistent with Ratih et al .
view that employing Vol .
237-250 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media media relevant to the subject matter is a fundamental element of effective teaching.
The teachersAo positive perceptions also align with Ratri et al.
assertion that instructional media should be both interesting and relevant to the learning content in order to support effective Synthesis of Quantitative Findings Across Impact Aspects To provide a clearer and more holistic overview of the community service outcomes, the quantitative data from Table 2 and Table 3 were synthesized into broader impact aspects, as presented in Table 4.
This table groups teachersAo perceptions into six key aspects, including student motivation and engagement, learning orientation, learning strategies and practice, teaching effectiveness, teaching preparation efficiency, and intention to use the workbook.
Table 4.
Summary of TeachersAo Perceptions Based on Impact Aspects Impact Aspect Mean Score Interpretation Student Motivation and Very Positive Engagement Learning Orientation and Very Positive Objectives Learning Strategies and Practice Very Positive Teaching Effectiveness Very Positive Teaching Preparation Efficiency Very Positive Intention to Use the Workbook Very Positive As shown in Table 4, all impact aspects obtained mean scores above 4.
indicating very positive perceptions across both student-related and teacher-related The highest mean scores were found in the aspects of teaching preparation efficiency and teachersAo intention to use the workbook.
These results suggest that the developed workbook not only benefits studentsAo learning but also addresses teachersAo instructional workload and providing practical teaching support.
From the perspective of community service, these findings are particularly Vol .
237-250 sustainability potential of the program.
TeachersAo strong intention to continue using the workbook reflects successful acceptance of the developed product and suggests that the intervention is likely to have a lasting impact beyond the program implementation period.
Integration of Qualitative Findings from the Focus Group Discussion The quantitative findings were further supported and enriched by qualitative data obtained through the Focus Group Discussion.
To ensure systematic analysis, the FGD data were categorized into key thematic areas, as summarized in Table 5.
The themes e-ISSN 2828-6375 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media include student motivation, teaching convenience, instructional effectiveness, and sustainability of use.
Table 5.
Summary of TeachersAo Perceptions from Focus Group Discussion Theme Representative Statements Interpretation Student Motivation AuStudents will be more interested Comic-based workbook because the materials are colorful and enhances learning Ay Teaching Convenience AuThe workbook is ready to use and helps reduce my preparation time.
Ay Practical support for Instructional Effectiveness AuThe activities are well structured and easy to follow.
Ay Supports effective teaching Sustainability AuI plan to use this workbook regularly in my classes.
Ay Strong intention for continued use As presented in Table 5, teachers consistently highlighted that the comicbased workbook could increase studentsAo interest due to its colorful design and Teachers emphasized the practicality of the workbook, noting that its ready-to-use format helped reduce preparation time and facilitated classroom implementation.
These qualitative insights corroborate the consistency between teachersAo numerical ratings and their verbal reflections.
One representative example was expressed by Teacher 11, who stated:
AuI am sure that my students will be more interested in joining the class, because it is so colorful and has many fun activitiesAy (FGD data 11, translated versio.
This statement reinforces the survey results related to student motivation and supports the notion that comic-based instructional materials can create a more engaging learning environment.
e-ISSN 2828-6375 Discussion in the Context of Community Service Outcomes The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings indicates that the developed studentAos workbook using comic strips was positively perceived by teachers in terms of usability, effectiveness, and sustainability.
TeachersAo comfort and intention to use the workbook frequently suggest that the community service program successfully empowered teachers by providing relevant and applicable instructional resources.
These findings are consistent with AkandeAos .
argument that perception influences behavior.
In this context, teachersAo positive perceptions of the workbook directly influenced their intention to adopt and continue using the materials in their teaching practices.
Therefore, the results demonstrate that the community service program achieved its primary objective of supporting teachersAo professional development and enhancing instructional quality through practical Vol .
237-250 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media media innovation.
Overall, the results and discussion confirm that the comic-based studentAos workbook is perceived as a valuable instructional tool with positive future effects for both students and teachers.
The evaluation outcomes provide strong evidence that the community service initiative effectively addressed real classroom needs and offers practical pedagogical implications for English language teaching contexts.
Conclusion This community service program aimed to develop and introduce a studentAos workbook using comic strips as ready-touse teaching materials for English teachers and to evaluate teachersAo perceptions of its potential implementation in classroom The program was designed to teachersAo development by providing practical, engaging, and contextually relevant instructional media.
The findings from the evaluation stage indicate that the developed comicbased studentAos workbook was positively perceived by participating teachers.
Quantitative data from the questionnaire showed high levels of agreement across all evaluated aspects related to both students and teachers, with all mean scores Teachers perceived that the workbook could enhance studentsAo interest and engagement, support learning orientation, clarify learning objectives, provide meaningful practice opportunities, and facilitate the development of English Vol .
237-250 language skills (Prayitno et al.
, 2.
These perceptions suggest that the workbook effectively addresses studentsAo cognitive and affective learning needs.
From the teachersAo perspective, the workbook was regarded as a practical and beneficial instructional resource.
Teachers agreed that the ready-to-use format of the workbook could reduce lesson preparation time, support effective teaching, and motivate students to participate actively in English learning activities (Hanifah et al.
Moreover, teachers expressed comfort and confidence in using the workbook and demonstrated a strong intention to adopt it regularly in their These highlight the potential sustainability of the community service program and the relevance of the developed materials to real classroom contexts.
The qualitative findings from the Focus Group Discussion strengthened the survey results by providing in-depth insights into teachersAo experiences and expectations.
Teachers emphasized the motivational value, instructional convenience, and practical usefulness of the comic-based workbook, reinforcing the alignment between quantitative and qualitative data.
This integration of findings confirms that the program successfully met its objective of delivering an acceptable and applicable teaching resource (Adhantoro et al.
, 2.
Overall, the results demonstrate that the development of a studentAos workbook using comic strips is a viable and effective approach to supporting English teachers e-ISSN 2828-6375 Highlighting the TeachersAo Perception on Designing Comic Strip as English Teaching Media through community service initiatives.
TeachersAo positive perceptions and strong intention to use the materials indicate that the workbook has the potential to contribute to improved teaching practices and enhanced student engagement in English language learning.
Therefore, this program offers meaningful pedagogical comic-based instructional media in English language teaching contexts, particularly within Acknowledgment The authors would like to thank the English teachers from various regions of Indonesia for their participation.
The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang funding for this research through the Block Grant.
References